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Answer:
Sharon Ann Meyer, AS, AA, DTR, from HIV ReSources responds:
I assume your brother
is hearing about the properties of colostrum. We know maternal milk offers
passive protection to the infant against enteric pathogens, mainly through
the transfer of immunoglobins and associated factors from mother to infant.(1)
Finish researchers recently reported that immune milk products are promising
examples of functional foods or nutraceuticals. Hannu Korhonen and colleagues
tell us that cow serum and lacteal secretions contain three classes of
immunoglobulins, namely IgG, IgM and IgA. (2) Enriched
antibodies in this bovine colostrum can be used to give effective specific
protection against different enteric diseases in calves and suckling pigs.(3)
The first bovine colostrum in the mammary gland contains very high concentrations
of immunoglobulins that decrease over the course of a few days. IgG1 represents
the major Ig class in milk throughout the rest of the lactation period.
Investigators note that
in animals and humans bovine colostrum-based immune milk products
are effective in guarding against various infectious diseases such as Shigella
flexneri, Clostridium difficile, and Cryptosporidium parvum. Currently,
clinical studies are evaluating the efficacy of immune milks in the prevention
and treatment of various human infections such as those caused by antibiotic
resistant bacteria. Since milk antibodies are derived from a foreign species,
however, in human use they can be used "only against oral and gastrointestinal
pathogens or for topical applications." Korhonen and colleagues note that
in the future it may be possible to produce human antibodies and complement
proteins in transgenic cows. To learn more on this topic read Immune
Milk Preparations - Novel Means For Prevention And Treatment Of Human Microbial
Diseases by Hannu Korhonen. The article is located in the What's
Free\Hot Topics section.
Other preliminary research
on bovine colostrum (completed mainly outside of the U.S. and using very
small study groups), shows that it may increase bone-free lean body mass
in active men and women (4), prevent non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drug-induced gastrointestinal damage (5),
improve the outcome of Alzheimer's disease in patients with mild to moderate
dementia (6), and lessen stool
output and the frequency of loose stools in people with enteric infections.
(7-12)
Although early studies noted it may be effective against Cryptosporidium
parvum and suggested placebo-controlled trials (13-16),
documentation of subsequent clinical trials are lacking.
View a monologue
on colostrum. Also, Symbiotics, Inc., a company that markets New
Life Colostrum™, notes a few research studies at their web site and
sponsors clinical research and case studies to further substantiate the
promotion of colostrum supplementation. We can not attest to the reliability
of the web sites but it seems worthwhile to read the research articles
if you are considering the use of colostrum. After filling out a short
questionnaire at the Symbiotics web site, U.S. and Canadian citizens can
receive a free copy of Colostrum, Nature's Healing Miracle authored
by Donald R. Henderson, MD, MPH and Deborah Mitchell. Dr. Henderson lives
in Los Angeles, is a graduate of Florida Medical School, and holds a Master's
degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. The free
book is also available through MetaFoods.com.
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